I have used Orvis vest for years. Simms is also good. Your budget has a lot to do with your choice.

Here are some of the features I like in a vest.

1. A padded neck.

2. A tab or method to fasten the Vest together when the zipper is unfasten. I use my vest a lot with the zipper down so it is easier to get into the inside pockets.

3. Pockets for retractors. You can see them in the center of the vest just above the zipper. They face down and protect the zingers.

4. Large rear pocket for jacket, lunch or rain coat.

5. D ring on back of neck to hang net from.

6. Zippers on the upper pockets start from the top and zip down. This allows you to remove items with out unzipping the whole pocket.

7. Velcro or magnetic closers on pocket flaps for easy access. One thing about Velcro is they are noisy. I don't think it bothers the fish but it is really loud on a quite stream.

8. Zippers on the big, bottom, front pockets that start from the bottom, center and zip up to the top and across. The Simms Vest in the pictures shows this feature. Look at the bottom, center of the vest and you will see the zipper tags hanging down. I like this arrangement because you can open the zipper to the top and pull the fly box out of the end. Some of the big pockets have the zipper just across the top or they zip the wrong direction. This feature is the most important on the vest to me.

9. Light weight material that breaths. I don't like heavy Cotton.

You may not find a vest with all of these features but they are the ones I like. If you look at the Orvis vest you will see the Tab that holds the two sides of the vest together. It also shows a vest with the zipper on the lower pockets that is just across the top of the pocket. You have to un-zip the whole pocket to get the fly box out. That is if you are using fly boxes that fill the pocket. I like the Simms vest better than the Orvis vest. Orvis has some better vest. I used this one so you could see the difference in the big pocket zippers.

Like Frank said you can pay a lot for a vest & Franks description of what you need in a vest is right on. For my 2 cents. Those zippers on the lower pockets of the Orvis style vest have a habit of catching the little flap over the zipper & you end up struggling to open or close it at the da&dest times. Just something else to look at when you look for one.

A vest is great, but if you fish in hot weather you may want to add a mayfly lanyard, it will only carry enough for a day on the water for places you know what flies will work, but man they are great when its 80-90 outside. The lanyards have clips and stuff for a small fly box with a tab on it, floatant, tippet spools, clipers and the main stuff you use,
Bear

Not trying to talk you out of a vest, you should get ya one, but if you want something liter for summer here is a great little piece of gear, ofcourse I am a gear junkie lol the vest that have been mentiond are great choices

I use an Orvis Otter Creek vest (which is currently on sale). I picked that one b/c it has a water proof pocket in the front where I can store my phone. With my old vest, I put the phone in a water proof bag in the back of my vest. It would not fit in a pocket on the front with all my fishing gear. Since I basically had to remove the vest to get to it, I never answered it - not a good thing when your spouse is trying to reach you b/c you are late getting home for a dinner party! (I was so focused on a "riser" and had lost track of time........never mind, he had a right to be upset!) Anyway, I solved the phone storage problem with the water proof pocket on the Otter Creek vest.